Gearing for driving a plurality of spindles



May 24, 1949. A. ILLSCHE GEARING FOR DRIVING A PLURALITY OF SPINDLES Filed March 1, 1 94s 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Maw m1;

MOTOR May 24, 1949.

A. ILLSCHE GEARING FOR DRIVING A PLURALITY OF SPINDLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 1, 1946 Fig. 5'-

INVENTOR. @411 Km BY Wm; D

May 24, 1949. sc 2,470,985

-GEARING FOR DRIVING A PLURALITY OF SPINDLES Filed March 1, 1946 4 sheets-sheet 4 -bars engaging pinions on the spindles.

bars that drive the spindles carrying'the male Patented May 24, 1949 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE.

GEARING FOR DRIVING A' PLURALITY OF SPINDLES Arthur Illsche, Rye, N. Y. Application March 1, 1946, Serial No. 651,129

'7 Claims,

The invention relates to gearing for mass production machines designed for die-forming sheet metal articles and while not limited to a particular product, the machine, as herein embodied,

is specially adapted for die-forming matedscrewthreads *onmembers of sheet metal buttons, by means of' which'such members areseparably secured together.

In die-forming screw threads in sheet metal blanks, I have found thatheavy loss from de-' fective and imperfectdie work can be avoided by causing the dies to press, draw and spin the metal in each thread-forming operation. Combining these actions eases the strain on the'metal blank and enablesit to withstand formation by the-dies without cracking, wrinkling, collapsing or being otherwise damaged.

The necessity' for combinin'gth-e actions men-- tioned, becomes at once apparent inthreading the conical or frusto-conical portion of small blanks o-f buttonsiz'es, which could notbe' done by pressing or drawing or" spinning alone; owing to the limitedarea of the metal presented and the small amount of clearance that is available for action by the dies and as-the thread spirals from the base to the apex'of the cone, where it terminates in a blunt point, a perfect-terminal formation can only beproduced'by easing the die action as-above described on'the'thinlydrawn metal at theapex of the cone.

To obtain the above described die action; the

dies of each coacting pair, while being rotated inopposite directions, to give them-a drawing and spinning action on the'blank, are'caused-to approach and contact the blank at different speeds,- the'male die advancing more rapidlyth'an the female die, which enables the maledie to enter and be utilized as a filler and support for the blank, thus reinforcing'it preliminary -td-the action of the slower moving female die; by which,

assisted by the male die, the-blank is" pressed;

drawn and spun over the male die, to form the thread. i

For mass production, a suitable number of coacting pairs of die-carrying'spin'dles are as sembled, preferably in double-line formation, for

simultaneous operation by reciprocating rack The rack dies, are intermittently reciprocated at comparatively high speed, by cam action, to givethe male dies a rapid advance into the cones of the bl'anks, then a period of rest and a rapid retraction; following the action of the female dies-on the blanks;

The rack" bars that drive the spindles carrying the female dies, are continuously reciprocat'ed by eccentric action to give them a comparatively-- slow advance and retraction.

The conical blanks to be threaded, are preformed in a strip of ribbon metal drawn from" a reel and the strip is given a step by step advance by an automatic feed, that brings a cone blankin centered relation between each cooperating pair of dies.

Following the threading operation, the strip'is run through a punching machine by which'the' threaded cones are punched out with a marginal flange at the base of the cone for a suitable edge" finish or attachment to an ornamental button .overlap or the like.

Other features of the invention'not specially mentioned above will be brought to attentio'nin the detail description that follows:

A machine construction suitable for carrying.

Fig. 3 is a detail plan view, on an enlarged. scale, of the gearing for rotating the die-carrying. spindles in groups. Figs. 4 and 5 are central vertical longitudinal, sections of a cooperating pair of die-carrying.

spindles.

Fig. 6 includes detail views, on an enlarged" scale, of a cooperating pair of male and female dies and a metal blank on which they are designed to operate.

Fig. '7 is a top plan view illustrating an addition to the spindle-driving gearing shown in Fig. 11

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view on the line S S of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a detail plan view of one of the cam drives.

Referring now to the drawings, the main frame of the machine, as best shownin Figs. 1 and 2, consists of a rectangular base plate I from the.

longer opposite sides of which front and rear walls 2, 3, rise to provide support for the o1; e1 at-v ing mechanism. The die-carrying spindles are mounted on the outer side of the front'wall 2,. along with certain elements of the gearing, by which the spindles are alternately rotated in.

opposite directions to advance and' retract the dies carried by cooperating pairsof the spindles.

"The main portion of the spindle driving gear is 3 mounted on the inner side of the rear wall 3 and on the opposite side of the wall, a source of power is indicated, in the form of a motor 4.

The motor shaft 5 is suitably geared, as indicated at 6, in Fig. 2, to drive the main cross shaft 1 of the machine and power from the motor to the shaft is controlled by a clutch 8, the operating lever of which is indicated at 9, in Figs. 1 and 2.

The cross shaft 1 is mounted in bracketed bearings l0, l0, projecting from the inner side of the rear wall and through bevel gearing II, II at opposite ends, is connected to drive two vertically disposed shafts l2, l2 in opposite directions. The shafts i2, i2 are mounted in bracketed bearings I3, l3, projecting from the rear wall and have fast thereon eccentrics I 4, M, at their upper ends and cams l5, H5, at their lower ends, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The eccentrics, id, it, through gearing hereinafter described, operate to continuously impart alternate rotation in opposite directions, to the upper series of spindles that carry the female dies and the cams l5, l5, as hereinafter described, operate to impart intermittent rotation in opposite directions to the lower series of spindles that carry the male dies. It may be added, as will later on appear, that excepting the difierence between the eccentric drive and the cam drive, the form of gearing through which motion is transmitted from each of them to the die-carrying spindles, is substantially identical.

Rack bars l6, it, connected to be reciprocated by the eccentrics id, 54, engage pinions l1, l1, mounted on stud shafts l8, [8, carried by brackets l9, I9, projecting from opposite sides of the front wall 2. The rack bars are held in engagement with the pinions by suitable retaining devices 20, 20, free to move about the shafts, to adapt themselves to variations in the angle of the rack bars as they swing under the drive of the eccentrics.

The cams l5, l5, each acting between two rollers 2|, 2!, of a slide 22, movable in a guide 23 (see Figs. 2 and 9), operate to intermittently reciprocate the rack bars 2d, Ed, in opposite directions. The rack bars are pivoted to the slides and engage pinions 25, 25, mounted on stud shafts 26,26, carried by brackets projecting from opposite sides of the front wall 2. Retaining members 21, 2?, similar to those above described in reference to the eccentrically driven rack bars, are here employed to serve the same purpose.

Forming a continuation of each eccentric drive through an engaging rack and pinion, as above described, a gear 28 is mounted on the shaft with each pinion to rotate with the same. Each of the gears 28 engages the teeth on one side of a rack bar 29, which is toothed on the opposite side to mesh with pinions 853 of a three-member group of die-carrying spindles, arranged in line formation, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Movement of the rack bars 29, 29, in opposite directions, will cause the spindles of both groups to be simultaneously rotated in the same direction and as these two groups form the upper series of spindles that carry the female dies, the action of the rack bars in reciprocating, will first rotate them clockwise, to advance the dies to the blanks and then reverse the rotation, to retract the dies, to enable the strip of blanks to be fed forward for the next operation.

The rack bars 29, 29 are supported and guided on vertically and horizontally disposed roller bearings, indicated at 29 and 29. The rollers 29 vertically disposed on opposite sides of the bars, are flanged at the ends of a greater depth than the teeth of the bars, to straddle and clear the teeth and permit the flanges to come to a bearing on the bar above and below the teeth, as best shown in Fig. 8. The rollers 29, are horizontally disposed and bear on the underside of the bars as cooperating supports for the same.

As an exact duplication of the gearing, above described in connection with the eccentric drives, is employed as continuations of the cam drives through engaging rack bars and pinions, to the two groups of spindles that form the lower series and carry the male dies, the construction and arrangement will be apparent without the aid of a detailed description.

For purposes of illustration, twelve die-carrying spindles are shown, arranged in six cooperating pairs but this number may be increased or decreased as will be apparent. As previously stated, the spindles 3|, carrying the female dies 32, are shown forming the upper group and the spindles 33, carrying the male dies 36, as the lower group, an arrangement that may be reversed, if desired.

The spindles, mounted in supporting blocks 35, 33, are assembled in separate clamp frames 35*, 36 which are bolted or otherwise secured to the outer side of the front wall of the machine, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 8, the assemblies being arranged one above the other, suitably spaced apart to provide clearance between them for entrance and passage of a strip of sheet metal 31, in which conical or frustoconical blanks 38 have been preformed. Suitable spacing members 35 36 are employed between the blocks to separate the spindles or group them into closer relation, as ma .be required, to bring them into centering register with the blanks on the strip.

A booster block 39, doweled to the lower block assembly, as indicated at 4B, is provided with a shelf-like extension 4| and together they serve as a support for the strip of blanks. In addition to being bored for the passage of the spindles, parallel slots 42, 42 are formed in the booster block to receive guides 43, 43, by which the strip of blanks is steadied as it is advanced to the dies by an automatic feed, indicated at 44, which is of the conventional form and need not therefore be described in detail.

The spindles 3i and 33, of the upper and lower series, are of identical construction and each consists of a tubular body 45, reduced as indicated at 46 and shouldered at 41, to receive the pinion 30, by which, through the gearing above described, the spindle is given alternate rotation in opposite directions. The pinion is secured to the spindle by being clamped against the shoulder 41, by a main nut 48 and an added clamp nut 49, threaded on the spindle, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

The advance and retraction of the dies is effected by a screw feed provided by threading each spindle in its supporting block, as indicated at 50, the pitch of the thread being such that as the spindles are given a predetermined number of turns, first in one direction, then in the other, the required movement will be imparted to them by the screw feed to bring the dies into and out of cooperating relation with the blanks.

The end 5| of the spindle to which the die is attached, is reduced, as indicated at 52 and shouldered at 53, to provide a seat for the die bloclerwhich is socketed .tozconform to the seat and; secured: thereonbyua-long bolt 54, that extendssthrough the tubular body of the spindle and: isthreaded; into. the zblock as indicated at 55; Toeremove.adieforrinspection or renewal, it wilhonlyxbe-necessary; aswillbe seen, to unscrew the bolt, which leaves the spindle other- Wise-intact;

To fornrperfect screwthreads in small metal blanks of buttom sizes, very fine adjustments ofztheudies are required and inorderthat they may b.e.;made; withoutremoving or disengaging the:- spindle driving gearing, two such adjustments-are provided, oneto advance or retard the reversal of thecstrokezof any one or more of the eccentrics or cams, withlrel-ationto the movementxofijeither; group, of dies and the other to advance or retract any one or more of the dies individually, that may beunder-acting or overacting, in the formation of the screw threads.

The first mentioned adjustment is best shown in Fig. 1, in which either of the rack bars l6, may be shifted lengthwise, a limited distance, in either direction, by means of the screw bolts 56, 56, withoutmoving the eccentric. These bolts, acting on the block 51, movable in a guide slot 58, in the rack-bar, maybe turned to shift the bar lengthwiserelative to the stud 59, that projects through theeblock and connects thebar to the eccentric. Inwthusshifting one of the rack bars M3, for example, the gearing connecting it to a group of thetspindles will be given proportionate movement,, causing-the dies of that grou to move up orrdewn, depending upon the direction in which the bar is shifted.

For individual adjustment of any one or more of the dies, it is only necessary to run the clamp nut 49, and the main nut 48, back a few turns on the spindle to reduce the clamp pressure that holds the pinion fast thereon and as the pinion is held against turning by being engaged by the rack bar, the spindle, thus freed, may be rotated in either direction by hand or the aid of a suitable tool and the screw feed acting, will raise or lower the die as required. After the die is adjusted and the nuts 48 and 49 are tightened up, the spindle will be ready for use.

The modification shown in Figs. 7 and 8, consists in providing a double rack bar drive for each group of spindles, otherwise the construction is the same as in Fig. 1. As shown, a rack. bar engaging the pinions of one group of spindles, is connected by a cross piece at its free end, to a second rack bar Which engages the pinions of a second group of spindles, the arrangement being such as to increase and balance the power applied to the spindles.

As the operation and many advantages of the machine will be apparent from the foregoing, it will not be necessary to further describe the same.

I claim:

1. Gearing for operating a spindle assembly the spindles of which are arranged in cooperating pairs and the spindles of each pair in axially aligned relation presenting two cooperating sets of spindles adapted to be driven independently of each other, the said gearing comprising a transmission train for each set of spindles, each train including a plurality of rack bars operatively connected through interposed means to be reciprocated one by the other and terminating in a plurality of pinions driven by one of the aforesaid rack bars, the reciprocation of which periodically reverses the direction of rotation of the pinions, the said pinions being individually mounted fasten thesindividnalispindles of one." of the; aforesaid .sets' of spindles;v driving means for" theitrains. adapted to' impart different speeds of rotation to the. two setssoffspindles, andnanauto matic feed for each spindle responsiveto rota-. tionthereof for periodically advancing and retracting the :two sets-offspindlesi with relationto each other.

2'; Gearing for. driving-a-spindle. assembly the spindles. of which are. arranged: in cooperating pairs with the spindles of:each pairsaxiallyaligned one-above the other; presentingan upper set and a lower set'of'spindles, the'said'gearing comprising a transmission train from-a common source of power for each set of 'spindles, eachtrain including a pair of reciprocating rackbars oper-- atively connected through interposed gears andterminating in pinions. individually mounted on individual spindles'of one of the sets and engaged byone of the rack barsthe reciprocation of which periodically reverses :the direction of'rotationof the pinions and the spindleson which they are mounted, means'for driving the trains at different speeds to impart different speeds=of rotation to the upper and thelower setsofrspindles, screw feedrfor-each spindle actuated. by rotation thereof by whichthe spindles ofthe upper set and the:

spindles of the lower-set are periodically advanced toward each other atdifierent speeds and retracted at difierent speeds;

3. Gearing for driving a spindle assembly thev spindles of which are arranged. in cooperating pairs with the spindles'of each pair axially; aligned one above the other, presentingan upperzsetand' a lower set of spindles, the said gearing comprising a transmission train from a common source of power for each set of spindles, each train including a pair of reciprocating rack bars operatively connected in angularly disposed relation to each other through interposed gears and terminating in a plurality of pinions individually mounted on individual spindles of one of the sets and severally engaged by one of the rack bars, the reciprocation of which periodically reverses the direction of rotation of the pinions and the spindles on which they are mounted, an eccentric drive for one of the trains and a cam drive for the other train by which different speeds of rotation are imparted to the two sets of spindles, and a screw feed for each spindle actuated by rotation thereof by which the spindles of the two sets are periodically advanced towards each other and retracted by different speeeds, the spindles of the upper set moving at a higher speed than the spindles of the lower set.

4. Gearing for driving a cooperating pair of spindles axially aligned one above the other, comprising a separate transmission train from a source of power for each spindle, each train including a pair of reciprocating rack bars connected through interposed gears and terminating in a pinion fast on one of the spindles and engaged by one of the aforesaid rack bars, the reciprocation of which periodically reverses the direction of rotation of the pinion and the spindle on which it is mounted, means for driving the trains at different speeds to impart different speeds of rotation to the spindles and a screw feed for each spindle responsive to rotation thereby by which the spindles are periodically advanced toward each other at difierent speeds and retracted at different speeds.

5. Gearing for driving a cooperating pair of spindles axially aligned one above the other, comprising a separate transmission train from a 7 common source of power for each spindle, each train including a pair of reciprocating rack bars operatively connected in angularly disposed relation to each other through interposed gears and terminating in a pinion fast on one of the spindles and engaged by one of the aforesaid rack bars, the reciprocation of which periodically reverses the direction of rotation of the pinion and the spindle on which it is mounted, one of the trains being driven by an eccentric and the other train by a cam to impart rotation to the spindles for different intervals of time and at different speeds, and a screw feed for each spindle actuated by rotation thereof by which the spindles are periodically advanced toward each other at difierent speeds and retracted at different speeds.

6. Gearing for operating a spindle assembly consisting of several groups of spindles, the spindles of each group being arranged in cooperating pairs and the spindles of each pair axially aligned one above the other, presenting an upper series and a lower series of spindles, the two series adapted to be driven independently of each other, the said gearing comprising two transmission trains for each group of spindles, each train including a plurality of rack bars operatively geared together to be reciprocated one by the other and terminating in a plurality of pinions engaged and driven by one of the aforesaid rack bars, the reciprocation of which periodically reverses the direction of rotation of the pinions, the said pinions being individually mounted fast on the individual spindles forming one series of a the upper series and the lower series of spindles, and an automatic feed for each spindle responsive to rotation thereof for periodically advancing and retracting the two series of spindles with relation to each other.

'7. Gearing for operating a spindle assembly, as defined in claim 6, in which the rack bars of the two transmission trains that engage and drive the pinions of the upper and lower series of one group of spindles, are connected in cooperative relation to impart motion to other rack bars that engage and cooperatively aid in driving the pinions of the upper and lower series of a second group of spindles.

ARTHUR ILLSCHE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 121,435 Williams Nov. 28, 1871 403,199 Longlands May 14, 1889 1,352,840 Shantz Sept. 14, 1920 1,696,453 Reid Dec. 25, 1928 2,019,493 Hothersall Nov. 5, 1935 2,110,314 Wisner Mar. 8, 1938 2,340,472 lllsche Feb. 1, 1944 2,349,240 Aiinan May 23, 1944 2,353,253 Livermont July 11, 1944 2,353,349 Merolle July 11, 1944 

